Oneida Indian Nation pushes case of double-dipping

Attorneys for two Oneida Indian Nation employees have asked a state judge not to dismiss the case they filed against Madison County Attorney John Campanie and state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli last year, which accused Campanie of double-dipping and DiNapoli of not taking action to stop it.

The suit filed by Steven Mahler and Daniel Garrow in April 2011 accused Campanie of improperly collecting more than $800,000 from the law firm hired by the state to represent Madison and Oneida counties in cases involving the Oneidas.

Last month, Campanie’s legal team asked a state judge to dismiss the case, arguing that it has been “rendered moot” by ending the state’s compensation of Campanie’s firm, terminating the county’s 25-year practice of paying its county attorney’s private law firm $500 a month for expenses, and making back payments of $5,952.89 to Madison County and $30,074.16 to the state.

In a response filed Friday in state Supreme Court, attorneys for Mahler and Garrow argue that the actions taken by Campanie, his law firm and county and state officials do not negate the illegality of the payments made since 1998, which they say violate public officers law that prohibits Campanie from receiving compensation, outside his regular salary, to represent Madison County.

“There is a strong public policy issue at stake,” the filing reads. “Defendants should not be permitted to manipulate the courts by agreeing amongst themselves to take action to moot the case without an admission of wrongdoing.”
Contact Alaina Potrikus at 470-3252 or apotrikus@syracuse.com.